Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain‘s time at Liverpool may have fizzled out, but the midfielder departs Anfield holding an impressive all-time record.
After six years and 146 appearances, Oxlade-Chamberlain leaves Anfield this summer along with James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and six released youngsters.
While Milner and Keita have already landed at new clubs and Firmino appears set for Saudi Arabia, the Englishman’s future is as yet unresolved.
The likelihood is that he will receive a host of offers, as despite his injury problems in recent years he remains an accomplished option at a high level.
He can boast an incredible record on his CV, too, with Oxlade-Chamberlain holding the longest unbeaten run of any Liverpool player in history.
According to Opta’s Michael Reid, the 29-year-old went 39 straight appearances unbeaten between March 2018 and February 2020.
That puts him ahead of Divock Origi (35) in second and James McBride (34) in third, the latter of whom played for Liverpool in the 1890s.
Hugh McQueen (33), a team-mate of McBride’s, is fourth on the list, with Joe Gomez (32) rounding off the top five.
It is an impressive run for Oxlade-Chamberlain, the majority of which came during the season that saw him make his highest tally of appearances for the club.
The midfielder featured 43 times in the 2019/20 season, helping Liverpool to win the title, with 25 of those outings coming as a starter.
His record is not exactly on a technicality, then, with Oxlade-Chamberlain playing a vital role in Liverpool’s success in that period.
The long-term knee injury that came in the early stages of that unbeaten spell did undoubtedly contribute to the difficulties he faced later in his time on Merseyside.
But as his record shows, Oxlade-Chamberlain should not simply be dismissed as injury prone or deadwood – as he was an influential part of the title triumph.
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